Germany

Gicon floating foundation construction underway

GERMANY: Construction of Gicon's SOF floating foundation has started at the company's factory in Germany.

Gicon created a 1:37 scale model of the foundation structure

A spokesperson for the German engineering firm confirmed full-scale construction began on schedule with deployment planned for next year.

Construction is due to be completed "early" in 2015 before the floating foundation is installed in the Baltic Sea for testing at EnBW's 48.3MW Baltic I project. The spokesperson said installation is due to be in May or June.

The foundation can be installed in water depths of 20-500 metres and be towed to its deployment location, making installation more cost-effective.

In May, Gicon was awarded EUR 5.25 million by the north German state of Meklenburg-Vorpommern. The grant is being used for construction and testing.

Gicon received a US patent for the foundation in February. Gicon believes the American market has the potential to be one of the leading markets in offshore wind development.

Gicon tested a 1:25 scale model of the turbine in 2012 and has also made a 1:37 scale model.

Related Articles

If you see a comment you find offensive, you can flag it as inappropriate. In the top right-hand corner of an individual comment, you will see 'flag as inappropriate'. Clicking this prompts us to review the comment. For further information see our rules for commenting on articles.